Check out the GamePolitics.com report on LucasArts and the ESA

Your faithful games scribe — that’s me — has not been able to keep up with whatever is going haywire between major companies (Activision/Vivendi and now LucasArts) and the industry trade group, the Entertainment Software Association.

(I consider the topic important, but I’m not a full-time games journalist, so I haven’t been able to investigate the details. I get excellent access to most of the publishers and developers, and I come away with the occasional scoop. But I divide my time with other responsibilities at the Mercury News, and I’ve just been too busy to dig into the ESA developments. I’m quick to point readers to other trustworthy reporters when I need to, so that’s what I’m doing here).

GamePolitics.com says LucasArts has followed Activision/Vivendi in dropping membership in the ESA. There’s no in-depth info, but check out what has been published so far.

I also don’t have much radar on the situation. My last interaction with the ESA’s relatively new CEO, Mike Gallagher, was very disappointing. On the other hand, so was some recent interaction with LucasArts.

Over the years, I’ve found the games biz more open and less petty than a number of other big industries I’ve covered. Not to assume too much too quickly, but I hope there’s not some kind of creeping decline in video-game corporate culture that’s setting in.